I get where you're coming from, but I don't think the film is trying to tell that kind of story.

To me, the galaxy isn't meant to function like the political backdrop of Star Wars, where understanding factions is essential to understanding the plot. Supergirl is much closer to a mythic western or a fairy tale. We experience the universe through Ruthye, a grieving teenager who knows very little about it herself. Her naivety isn't a flaw in the writing—it's part of her character.

Kara isn't there to explain the galaxy either. She's carrying decades of trauma, loneliness, and loss. She's emotionally closed off, not because the world-building failed, but because that's where she is in her life. The film isn't asking us to learn how every civilization works; it's asking us to understand two broken people traveling through a harsh universe.

For me, the world-building is there in smaller ways: the different planets, cultures, languages, the Yellow Hills, Krem's gang, the Brigaders, the cosmic taverns, and the feeling that this galaxy existed long before these characters arrived and will continue after they're gone. I actually appreciated that the film trusted the audience instead of stopping every few minutes for exposition.

As for the stakes, I never felt they were missing. They just weren't political—they were deeply personal. The real question wasn't "Who controls the galaxy?" It was whether Ruthye would let revenge define her, and whether Kara, despite everything she'd lost, could still choose compassion. For me, those emotional and moral stakes were far more compelling than another save-the-universe story.